Words and photos by Perry and Cindy Mack
Beneath a cloudless blue sky and blazing golden sun, the relentless surf of the Pacific Ocean thundered against the five kilometres of beach in front of our condo. With a little research and a lot of luck, we had landed in a prime location, ready to enjoy a two-month escape from a particularly brutal Canadian winter. Here is what we learned so you can be even better informed.
While Mazatlán is a contiguous city there are varying parts of town that will suit you better depending on your interests and tastes. Along the route, you can find not only RV sites, but also hotels, condos, B&B's, townhouses as well as houses for rent or sale. During your stay, you will see dozens of signs - "se venta" (for sale) "se renta" (for rent) along with the associated phone numbers to call. But, how do you choose?
Perry and Cindy Mack
One of dozens of new hotels and condos being built
Starting north of Punta Cerritos, Emerald Bay Resort is one of the most luxurious resorts in the region. Typically, this resort would be best for a shorter stay (a week or two) as the area has few amenities outside of the resort and it is difficult to leave. You're not locked in but rides via pulmonia, taxi, and Über are the only to way to reach civilization as public bus service won't reach you; but having said that, the resort is very large with a half dozen restaurants, gorgeous beach, and stunning pools. A friend of ours stayed there while waiting to take possession of his new home in old town. He described it as "beautiful, but a long, relatively expensive distance from the allure and amenities of Mazatlan."
Perry and Cindy Mack
Dancing horses along Playa Cerritos
South of Punta Cerritos (Cerritos Point), you'll find the skyline dominating the all-inclusive Riu, also good for shorter stays. Staying at an all-inclusive makes a person reluctant to leave the resort and pay for a meal. The benefit of this location, as well as all of the resorts and condos along this stretch of Av. Sabalo Camaron, is that all of the methods of transportation are easily, quickly and affordably available. Pulmonias, cabs, pick-ups, and public buses go by every minute most of the day. Just stick out your arm and flag one down.
Many people we met, including friends of ours, stayed at Cerritos Resort. In addition to an apartment-style condo, you can also rent townhouses for roughly $1500 USD. You will be steps from the beach, with a restaurant overlooking the Pacific Ocean. This location puts you just a 15-minute walk from Punta Cerritos, which has market style shopping and a few quaint, affordable restaurants.
We stayed at Torre de Perla (Pearl Tower), which I found online at vrbo.com. It sits halfway between Punta Cerritos and El Cid on the five-kilometre long beach. This beach is one of the most beautiful beaches we have enjoyed in all our travels across the globe. One con is that the continual surf can be dangerous for small children and weak swimmers. However, you'll see surfers at Punta Cerritos, and folks on boogie boards or cooling off in the ocean along the beach. We were out in the ocean several times cooling off from the heat and playing in the waves. As with all activities and sports in nature, use common sense and exercise caution - Mother Nature isn't a Disney ride.
Perry and Cindy Mack
Cruise ship patrons fill the dozens of restaurants on Playa de la Piedra
Sabalo Country is just south of El Cid Marina and in my mind marks the northern end of the Golden Zone. It's a strip of hotels, restaurants, pubs, clubs and souvenir shops. There's not much ‘golden' about it. We were envisioning a strip reminiscent of Las Vegas, with sky-scraping hotels, high-end shops — the glitter and glam of dollar drawing entertainment that is marketed as ‘golden’, were wrong. It’s not a bad place; in fact, it is a great place to stay if you want to in the heart of Mazatlan’s tourist action. Amenities abound, virtually every retailer and server speaks English, and there is (as always) a terrific beach to lounge on. On the beach, you'll find the hotels (and several more were rising during our visit) and east of Av Sabalo Camaron you'll find the smaller hotels, condos, and apartments covering every price range.
An 83-year-old woman we met had been coming to Mazatlan for 17 years and staying in the same small apartment for $350 USD. Over the years she has lost her husband and her dog, she but continued to come for winter. At the end of her stay, she packs her belongings in plastic tubs, the owners store them for her over the summer and then put them back in the unit when she returns. She iterated that it wasn't a place we would want to stay as the sink was rusty, the unit was small, and there was no TV. But she went on to say that she always felt safe, in the apartment and walking the neighbourhood, and that it felt like home.
Perry and Cindy Mack
Fresh fish every day from local fishermen on the Malecon - Avenida Del Mar
South of the Golden Zone is the Malecón (the boardwalk). It's part of a 14 km stretch of beach with a raised boardwalk off the beach. It's very hot during the day, so you should walk the beach at night for a more pleasant experience. Opposite the boardwalk are several hotels in varying age, height, price, and amenities. Aside from the plethora of restaurants and pharmacias (pharmacies), the Malecón provides beachside palapa restaurants in the north, street vendors along its length and the Golden Zone to the north. Need a ride? They come every 15 seconds. The main attraction (or detraction depending on your frame of mine) is you can enjoy Carnaval (Carnival) from your condo. Parades and festivities are at your door as tens of thousands descend upon the city to enjoy the festival. From this location, you can enjoy the festivities for as long as you like and walk home when you've had enough.
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Perry and Cindy Mack
Hotels line the beach at low tide along the Malecon
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The north end of the Malecon has roughly a dozen beach side restaurants
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Many modern options along the Malecon
Centro Historical was our favourite refuge and could be our next winter haven. Once again you can find every type of accommodation with the addition of turn-of-the-century architecture. The buses, and every other method of transportation will easily and quickly take you in and out of Centro, if you choose to leave. Within walking distance are dozens of quaint restaurants, shops, bakeries, an art gallery, archeological museum, plazas with markets and the Mercado Pino Suarez, the local market. Where the Mercado is frenetic, a few blocks away the Plazuela Machado is quiet and peaceful. The beach and the Olas Altas oceanfront are within walking distance, you can hike up to El Faro de Navegación Marítima (the lighthouse) or walk to the water taxis to the wonderful Isla de la Piedra. Strolling through Centro Historical (old town) I bumped into a friend from Alberta I hadn’t seen in years. No wonder. He’d been coming to Mazatlan for seven years and moved there permanently three years ago; buying a place in old town and loving it.
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Perry and Cindy Mack
South of Centro, ferries leave from Playa Sur to Isla de la Piedra
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Striking statues have the perfect backdrop in Olas Altas
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The Basilica in Centro (Old Town)
There are many neighbourhoods in Mazatlan we haven’t mentioned, but the ones we have were by far the most popular. We can’t rank them without imposing our personal preferences, but hopefully, you can use your own. What is exciting is that every type of accommodation is available from all-inclusive to small apartments. Wherever you choose to reside, the weather will be perfect, the people will be friendly, and you can enjoy everything that Mazatlan has to offer to the degree you like.
Perry and Cindy Mack